Humidification during mechanical ventilation is often necessary to reduce drying of a patient's airways and to prevent patient discomfort and possible complications such as inspissation of airway secretions, hypothermia, and atelectasis. While passive humidifiers can provide some relief, generally a heated humidifier is required to maintain proper temperature and moisture of air delivered to a patient.
Conventional methods for humidifying gas often utilize a water chamber. The water chamber holds a quantity of water that is heated using a heating element. Dry gas is fed into the chamber and is humidified with the heated water. The humidified gas then exits the chamber and is delivered to a breathing circuit connected to the patient. Unfortunately, these conventional heating elements can often be bulky and must be located away from patient. This arrangement can be cumbersome and can also lead to the formation of condensation in the breathing circuit.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved humidification device that can provide on-demand humidification for respiratory breathing circuits.